I'm good with the downtime rules. I'll have to learn them and also choose something for Vicenzo to do but now's as good a time as ever.
You know officially reached level 2! I need Marcellus level up ASAP.
@Melani: Since you got plenty of time until the encounter, we can assume that you got your healer's kit from the General Store. Adjust your gear accordingly.
Regarding the Rebellion points, you are both correct. It is something that you need not to really worry/think about and it is not really easy to predict which actions would raise or lower it, even if the general idea of being too harsh or too soft might be correct.
You should also be able to notice when things are getting worst, but you need a more deep change... If you acquire five more points it will be more noticeable than just a single point.
All,
I'll be attending Gen Con this year and will be mostly unavailable from this Wednesday morning through Sunday evening. Please bot me if needed.
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Tonight's our national holiday in Switzerland, so I won't be able to post until tomorrow unfortunately. I'll post ASAP!
-Posted with Wayfinder
They take the internet down on national holidays there? :P
All,
I'll be attending Gen Con this year and will be mostly unavailable from this Wednesday morning through Sunday evening. Please bot me if needed.
Have fun Cadas :) Yes I just realised we're in RotR together! :D
"What is this 'nonlethal damage' you speak of?" asks Marcellus innocently, hiding a crushed peasant's corpse behind his back.
Hit die rolls:
Marcellus is going to pick up Weapon Focus (Whip) as his feat at this level.
Crap, I need proficiency don't I? Hmm... I've always hated that whips need extra-special training. I might pick up Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Whip) now, and Weapon Focus next level.
Marcellus is going to pick up Weapon Focus (Whip) as his feat at this level.Crap, I need proficiency don't I? Hmm... I've always hated that whips need extra-special training. I might pick up Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Whip) now, and Weapon Focus next level.
Looking at the prestige class you could just wait - you'll get the whip proficiency then and its only a -4 when using a non-proficient weapon. Marcellus can probably work around that.
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@Marcellus: Ahreni is correct that you indeed receives whip proficiency with the prestige class. Anyway, if you decide to take whip proficiency now, you can always retrain it later to avoid losing a feat! Also, do not forget to post the changes from you PC so I can take a look if everything is ok.
Level Up:
HP: +13 (total of 29)
Fort: +1
Skill Points (Adventuring): +1 Climb, +1 Swim
Skill Points (Background): +1 Lore (Church of Iomedae), +1 Profession (Soldier)
Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Whip)
Stamina Pool: +1 (total of 4)
Marcellus? Ahreni? You are up...
Melani is attending the Gen Con so I'll bot her. I'll give you a couple more hours before botting you as well!
I will jump in with my phone if I have the chance. Running kids tracks first slot and waiting for my table to muster atm.
Just to let you know, I'm going to the doctor in the big city so I'll only be able to post by the end of the day! Nothing serious at all so no worries, I'll be back!
And I am back from Gen Con. Had fun. Ran 7 slots for kids. Ages from 5.5 to 20. I think all had fun but I prefer running for kids old enough to read their character sheets and do simple math. Maybe there should be some age requirement to kid tracks...
With construction and meal breaks the 7 hour drive took 11. Ug. Had a good time but will take a day or so to recover. :)
I've updated the map and now you can see the jail layout. The main room is where the deputies stood, the left one was the sheriff's office and on the back are the two cells. There are also two pillories outside.
If you keep the interrogation with any screaming, putting one of them inside the jail and interrogating the other in the common room or in the sheriff's office might do the trick.
Another option is to put one of them outside (in the pillory) and interrogate the other anywhere inside.
A con in Geneva sounds so cool to me. I want to go. :)
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In a garden, no less! Four days of outdoor PFS with great beer and very friendly players & organizers... What's not to like! It happens every year around the same dates, with more than a few tables playing in English. Would be great if you came next year!
-Posted with Wayfinder
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It wasn't clear what you decided about Caggan... you left him in the main room with Marcellus as a guard or you put him in the pillory?
Also, regarding the social skills, I think I need to clarify to you how I read them.
Bluff: With this skill, you can't improve a NPC's attitude or even making him a request... you need Diplomacy for this (or Intimidate to make a them friendly). You can use Bluff to create opportunities that allow you to utilize Diplomacy or Intimidation when those weren't possible before.
EX.: You can Bluff Kels as much as you want and if he fails he can even believe you want to actually help the rebellion or are just trying to protect the city, but no matter what, he is still mad that you hit his friend (still unfriendly), and no matter what, he won't do anything without a Diplomacy check. If Kels is completely loyal and would rather die before revealing anything (not saying that he is, just an example), bluffing him that you just want to help the city would allow you a Diplomacy to request him to share information, something he'd never do if he things you are the enemy.
Diplomacy: With this skill, you can both improve an NPC's attitude towards you and also make requests.
Ex.: You can ask Kels for some information with a successful roll, or try to make him more friendly previously, making the former check easier. In any case, to make a request there are a couple modifiers depending on the request and these may change with a well placed bluff.
Intimidate: With this, you can take a shortcut and make the target friendly (thus ignoring the maximum of two steps in the attitude shift of the NPC) with a far easier check, even if the NPC will change back to unfriendly (or hostile) after that. To make requests, you'll still need some Diplomacy, even if now they are easier than before.
Here are a couple scenarios to make it easier to understand (not the actual DCs):
- You try to make Kels indifferent/friendly (DC 23/DC 28) and then ask for information (DC 23/DC 18).
- You ask for information from the beginning (DC 28).
- You bluff him to believe you want to help (DC ~20), them makes him indifferent/friendly (DC 23/DC 28), and then asks for information (DC 18/DC 13).
- You intimidate Kels (DC 15), then ask for information (DC 18). He is unfriendly after a while.
Caggan - Eventually he will be taken to the pillory. I thought is that Marcellus would place him in a cell and watch him through Kel's questioning.
Bluff - Right. Trying initially to get on his good side or at least disarm him some. But also I was thinking that general information would not require any checks at all. He had already surrendered and agreed he would talk to us. But I am happy to either roll Diplomacy or at least assist Anarxos who can up the roll with a d6.
Marcellus will ensure Caggan is locked in a cell for the moment, but we plan to pillory him when we're done with Kels. I'll get a more robust post up soon - I am struggling with a personal issue at the moment and don't have much time.
Bluff - Right. Trying initially to get on his good side or at least disarm him some. But also I was thinking that general information would not require any checks at all. He had already surrendered and agreed he would talk to us. But I am happy to either roll Diplomacy or at least assist Anarxos who can up the roll with a d6.
Social skills are always tricky but I always try to use the rules as much as I can to avoid GM fiat. Since the combat finished, the threat you represented was enough to make Kels come with you without trying to flee but nothing was done to improve his attitude and even if he knows you'll ask questions, nothing is stopping him from lying.
With a failed Sense Motive check, you have no reason to believe he is lying (I already included the bluff modifiers for an unlikely lie) and thus everyone will be satisfied (Kels for not telling nothing important and you for 'knowing' he knows nothing).
This way, unless you make a Diplomacy to convince him to tell the truth, he won't do so, and the difficulty of this check depends on how you approach him.
Oh, and just to be clear, I always give secret circumstance bonus rewarding good RP so we are not just rolling dice and hoping for the best!
@Melani: Take a look at the 'Longacre' link in my alias stat line... it will lead you to a summary of Langacre's town modifiers.
Ah. Had no idea that was there. Thanks.
The ball is on you, guys! Marcellus, Vicenzo? I'm botting Anarxos until Sunday.
Thanks for your patience, folks. I will try to get up a post today, but I am leaving town for a convention until Monday. After today feel free to bot Marcellus if needed until I return!
Apologies for the delays the last day or two. :) I am moving into a new apartment soon and I am very busy.
Got one up! So, related to Marcellus's conduct of late, I wanted to at least start an out-of-character dialog about his disagreement with the others' methods to make sure there were no out-of-character feelings getting hurt. Marcellus is a deeply flawed character and has severe issues - I am enjoying being a bit of a "problem child," for the group, but I want to ensure no players are actually upset about it. We're all on the same team, even if my character is a total jerk. If his attitude is a problem for the group, then I absolutely plan on adjusting it.
Thoughts?
Got one up! So, related to Marcellus's conduct of late, I wanted to at least start an out-of-character dialog about his disagreement with the others' methods to make sure there were no out-of-character feelings getting hurt. Marcellus is a deeply flawed character and has severe issues - I am enjoying being a bit of a "problem child," for the group, but I want to ensure no players are actually upset about it. We're all on the same team, even if my character is a total jerk. If his attitude is a problem for the group, then I absolutely plan on adjusting it.
Thoughts?
I have very thick skin and I assume that everything is done IC with the intent of providing RP opportunities so no worries on my side.
And I've said before if any of Vicenzo's attitudes/actions bother people then tough luck just let me know. :)
Game on!
@Vicenzo: I believe that just because your PC is Evil, this doesn't mean he needs to do 'evil stuff' all the time. IMO it is more like a state of mind and a guidance on how you approach things. Since you are all LE (the least dangerous kind of evil), it is easier to RP.
As an example, imagine a noble with ambitions to rise in his kingdom (IMO, having ambition is not a bad thing) so three different nobles, of different alignments (LG, LN, LE) would approach it differently:
- Lawful Good: He'd never attempt anything that could harm or bring some ill fate to any of his other fellow nobles so his 'weapons' are far more limited. He could be a righteous leader for his people, work with the other nobles and always respect his king, so in an eventual situation where their liege is dead with no heirs, his fellow nobles could consider him as a rightful ruler instead.
- Lawful Neutral: With a more malleable moral code, he could employ a couple 'obscure' tactics, like manipulating the other nobles, making some espionage, selling some crown secrets, trading information, and so on. Neither good nor evil, it is even possible that such man could even be convinced to take part in a coup or murder attempt but would probably refrain to do so.
- Lawful Evil: Now everything is on the table and everything justifies his goals. Is there a noble hampering his efforts? He would find something against him, blackmailing, and possibly killing him if there are no dire consequences. There should be little if none action that he'd refrain from doing if this means he would achieve his goals.
In the present campaign example, if your objective is to keep the town controlled, having mercy on a couple guys would not be 'wrong' to your alignment since it helps your goal to be accomplished. What changes from PC to PC is their priority among their goals. As an example, all of you have the goal "Keep the town under control as the Archbaron wishes", but Marcellus also has the "Make Kels miserable" and Anarxos has the "Find the man with the heretical books". When these goals come in direct conflict, each one of you needs to decide which one is more important which will lead to awesome RP!
Regarding good Evil character examples, I think it is important to be able to discern if the example is actually LE, since there is a world of difference between a LE and a CE one! I can think about a few (remember our age difference, so don't judge me! lol): Darth Sidious/Palpatine, Darth Vader, Saruman (torn between NE and LE), the Godfather, Littlefinger (GoT - torn between LE and LN), Magneto.
"Must not judge the GM...." :P
I think we are all LE, which should make getting along and operating as a team at least a little easier. That said, do not expect Mel to not try to get the upper hand. I mean she is sure she is better than the rest of you after all.
OOC - I have no issue with any characters and am having a great time in this game. IC I do expect that if Marcellus agrees to a plan, or even does not object to a plan, that he follow it. Failing to do so IC will get him some trouble from the priest of Asmodeus, and I hope from everyone else. IC if that were to keep happening Mel would eventually take some action and try to have the unruly fighter replaced. She would feel she had no choice. An I hope we could handle that with no OOC issues.
So I do recommend you continue to play your character the way you want to play him BUT I do also want to remind you that you choose Lawful as part of your outlook and if you agree with us on something I think it should be rare that you do something different/opposite without further discussion. Of course you may object and disagree with any plan presented. Is that reasonable?
Alignment is a description of my actions, not what decides them. I never think "Marcellus is Lawful Evil, so he will do X." I think "Marcellus would do X, so he is probably Lawful Evil."
As far as releasing Kels, I was just skipping forward a bit to when Marcellus gets involved, especially since I am leaving tonight for the convention. :)
I think you're doing a good job. I see evilness as an example of how far you will go for your goals. If you'll cross a certain line, even if you do it with hesitation, you probably qualify as evil. Evilness doesn't need to define your actions all the time - but when you're pressed, if your morals evaporate, you could be evil.
My post #376 on the Gameplay Thread has us releasing Kels. You can just assume that he 'promised' to follow the new laws.
Sometimes someone needs to make a call/decision and move the game forward. This medium is not conducive to arguing back and forth before making a decision. If the call/decision is not correct then we'll just have to deal with it. :)
The GM wanted us to 'move' so I moved. :)
If the DM is good with that then I am. But I did not want to assume Kels would agree to ask Mel asked.
The rule of two is often a good method - if two people propose/agree a course of action then assent from the group is assumed unless someone has been arguing against that course.
Regarding evil - Ahreni is evil in so far as she is firmly against the cause of 'good' as defined. She has no objection to doing kind things, and in fact tends to prefer it when possible (angels... what can you do?) Apologies as well for the very hands off approach she's been taking, she's much more the manipulative kind rather than stabby and keeping away from the stabby ones is important so that she can manipulate in future. If anyone has problems there let me know! :)
Often, but perhaps not in this case. Mel has asked a lot of Kels for his freedom. I am happy to wait to see what our GM thinks before proceeding.
Somebody interrogate Caggan before Vicenzo lets him go. :)
You don't want me to make another decision and then regret it, do you? :)
On a more serious note, GM: is there room in the jailhouse to stay the night? Is this a place that can be used as place to stay by everyone or is the Ash House better suited for that purpose?
Vicenzo has no plans for the night. He wants to go back to the Ash House or start making the jailhouse his temporary home if that is possible.
The jail is a bit light on rooms but I think you'd be able to convert the main room into some lodge, or even the sheriff's office or the cells into rooms but it would leave you with no place to easily interrogate or hold prisoners.
Since you are already staying in the Ash House, I imagine it will be easier to keep using there as your night-base and the jail as your day-base.
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I'm back from GardenCon. A fantastic edition this year! Serpents' Ire was great - if any of you play PFS and have a chance of playing it, I strongly advise you to jump on that one.
Thanks for playing Anarxos, GM, I feel I would have done the same - returning to a sweeter tone once he's made sure Kels wasn't lying.
Back to business then! I think that Caggan might be more sensitive to interrogation after his punishment, if that's okay with everyone.
Sleep at the Ash House, work at the Sheriff's Office, I think.
I also second leaving Caggan in the pillory. One day seems very light - after all, he didn't just break the law, he attacked lawful agents of the Archbaron! "One day for breaking the decrees, and ten days for assaulting agents of House Thrune!" or something to that effect.
Yes, Sleep at Ash House. Do we need to guard our prisoner through the night though? If he escapes again we can just arrest him again, assuming he goes back to his place of business.
Edit- Never mind. Read the game posts. Looks like we are camping out and guarding our prisoner. Note that the real punishment of Pillorying is the public humiliation that will only happen during the day tomorrow. With that in mind we could wait until dawn to install the prisoner into the stocks.
Pardon the interruption...
I am GMing a fairly fast-paced PBP game here and have room for one (or maybe two) people.
I'm running the module Ire of the Storm, which takes place south of Sargava; there's more information in the campaign tab.
Your PC would enter the story as level 2 and be expected to end up level 5 or 6. I may even continue the game with another 'module'. However, I'm not promising that just yet because by the time we're done, there may be other things that I want to GM.
If interested, take a look and see if this is something you would enjoy playing. Please PM me so we don't clutter up this thread anymore than necessary.
Game on!
Ok guys, it is now morning and you have a full day ahead of you, so I need to know what you intend to do. Some of you have side quests (Anarxos and Melani) so feel free to pursue them or instead choose any of my previously posted downtime activities.
I'll be posting more information about these activities in the campaign tab, summarizing them, but it might take me a couple hours before I'm finished.
That being said, you are not required to do anything if you don't want to... you could just sit down at the jail, waiting for time to pass if you want. Otherwise, be creative!
@Ahreni: You mentioned something about looking for some people to pass information, probably like a spy network... if so, I think the "recruit for an organization" might be the one you are looking for!
I had to go back and re-review Melani's "mission" since it was part of the existing background I took over.
I guess Melani will spend time gathering information trying to learn if either Clariona and/or Sathursta is/are in town.
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I'd definitely like to go back to Anarxos's side quest whenever we can. But before that, I have an innkeeper I want to interrogate.
On the long run, Anarxos will definitely take some fencing lessons, but also try to get into the notary's associates, so that he has a closer look on who requests special permission (including those who asked and have been denied).
@Anarxos: I'll hold my response for your 'night time' post when we get there, since we still have a full day ahead of us if you don't mind. I'd rather not make you all RP two scenes simultaneously.
So far, it seems we have:
Ahreni: ?
Anarxos: Gather Information (up to three topics or re-roll a previous one)
Marcellus: ?
Melani: Gather Information (up to three topics or re-roll a previous one)
Vicenzo: Gather Information (up to three topics or re-roll a previous one) <- Following Melani and Anarxos